Following Thibau Nys‘ victory within the European Cyclocross Championships on the weekend, former double cyclocross world champion Niels Albert has mentioned that he may sooner or later attain the identical stage as Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.
The win was 21-year-old Nys’ first at an elite main championship and comes per week after taking his first win of the 2024-25 cyclocross season on the Superprestige Overijse.
The highway season simply gone, his second within the WorldTour with Lidl-Trek, has additionally seen Nys rack up 9 wins, together with 5 phases throughout the Tour de Romandie, Tour de Suisse and Tour de Pologne.
Writing in his column for Het Laatste Nieuws, Albert seemed again on the European Championships, noting that Nys’ victory “wasn’t an enormous shock” and acknowledging his main progress on the highway throughout the 2024 season.
“As soon as once more, the way in which he managed the race appealed to me. Identical to in Overijse, he was economical and managed and continually maintaining an outline. Then he struck superbly and mercilessly on the proper second.
“Does this herald a brand new section in his improvement as a cyclocross rider? I would not dare push it that far,” Albert continued. “Okay, he gained a Championship, however it wasn’t an enormous shock. His largest progress got here final summer time with these 9 wins on the highway, greater than half of which got here within the WorldTour.”
Albert, who gained the cyclocross world title in 2009 and 2012 earlier than being compelled to retire early as a consequence of coronary heart issues in 2014, outlined what “crossing a brand new threshold” in racing would imply for Nys – matching ‘the large two’.
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“Crossing a brand new threshold in cyclocross would imply using to the end tomorrow with Wout van Aert and/or Mathieu van der Poel and beating him within the dash,” Albert wrote.
“We’re not going to position him at that stage. Once more: not but, as a result of, flip it or twist it nevertheless you need – at a sure level he’ll go in that course. I’m not speaking about equalling, not to mention surpassing. However definitely ‘getting near’.
“If Mathieu and Wout seem someplace initially now and one in all them wins, we are saying, ‘Nicely, who else?’ Together with his large engine and technical and tactical capabilities, I can see us doing the identical with Thibau eventually.
“It is easy: the ability and the ability that he develops on the highway additionally makes him develop additional in cyclocross. Not one of the assembled competitors may dream of that for even a second.”
For his half, Nys mentioned that he is hoping to “experience a constant season” following his title victory, even when he does not anticipate to face on prime of the rostrum each week, because the likes of Van der Poel and Van Aert would.
“I take pleasure in using at a excessive stage on this jersey, I hope I can proceed to take action. I recovered very effectively from the Koppenbergcross. I had a improbable day right here and I simply hope to proceed that line,” he informed Sporza.
“It will not be to win each week, however as soon as 2nd, third or win… That is what I do it for. The followers give what they arrive for, supply spectacle and experience a constant season.”
